This delightfully fun, interactive feast is served up in a clever format: children are asked to guess which fruit or vegetable is described in each of the catchy four-line poems, then turn the page for the answer, where they’ll find an easy recipe featuring the produce to stimulate their appetites.

Delicious, nutritious, what could it be?In spring there are blossoms all over the tree.Red, green, or yellow, with fruit that is round.If you don’t pick it, it plops to the ground.

The spreads containing the poems show the edible plant growing in a variety of garden settings teeming with birds, beetles, caterpillars, butterflies, rabbits and slugs. Some of the animals are pests, others pollinators — all are vividly brought to life in Arbo’s realistic, exquisitely detailed illustrations, where children can practically feel the sun’s warmth, hear the bees buzzing and birds singing, smell the apple blossoms and damp soil. I cannot think of a better way to foster a love for the planet than by showing kids the vital connection between the natural world and the food they eat.

You plant them in rows and each forms a head.Or else you can grow the “leaf” kind instead.It grows rather quickly in loose, moist soil,And if there’s some frost, it won’t even spoil.

After correctly guessing the fruit or veggie, of course the ultimate reward lies in preparing and eating the food — who doesn’t love applesauce, carrot muffins, blueberry pie, mashed potatoes, a fresh green salad? Yum! Arbo’s pictures show the kids having fun watering plants, pulling up carrots, biting into corn-on-the-cob, hugging a pumpkin. More spaghetti with tomato sauce, please!

* * *

It’s round. It’s tiny. It grows on a bush.When made into sauce, it turns to a mush.This fabulous fruit can be used as a dye,And is really yummy in muffins and pie.

* * *

Just bite its long leaf — you’ll be able to tellThe bulb underneath has a very strong smell.It makes people cry so it’s cut in great haste,But added in cooking, enhances the taste!

* * *

I love the back matter — rich resources beautifully presented, inviting and accessible, never boring or overwhelming. Included are facts about each of the fruits and veggies, cooking tips and terms, plant parts, the basics for planting your own vegetable garden, and a list of garden songs, books and websites for further reference. You can also find a fabulous list of free downloadable activities at the publisher’s website that includes lots of bookmarks, a challenge to make a salad using all six plant parts, and a chance to find and identify all the pests and pollinators in the book.

Just released this Spring, and already the recipient of several notable awards, What’s in the Garden? contains just the right ingredients to help kids understand where their food comes from, while encouraging them to get busy outside in their home or school gardens as well as inside their kitchens, on the way to developing a lifelong, healthy habit of eating good, fresh fruits and veggies.

And now, since you insist, I’ll have another bowl of French Onion Soup! 🙂

♥ Click here to learn more about how Cris Arbo creates her amazing artwork.

* * *

Speaking of the brilliant Tabatha, she’s our Poetry Friday host this week at The Opposite of Indifference. Take her some Ants on a Log, and check out the full menu of poetic goodness being shared in the blogosphere.

All natural peanut butter made from freshly ground Virginia peanuts made just for you by Mr. Cornelius. ♥

This is the perfect book for a group at school who garden. We have two volunteer mothers (actually their children are long gone from school) who lead the gardening group, spend all spring planting (and teaching) and all the autumn harvesting (and cooking). It looks delightful for everyone else, too, Jama. The illustrations are marvelous! Thank you for telling so much about it!

OMG what a great book–fun, accessible, nutritious, and delicious… and all of those great resources too! So important when our young kids being constantly being bombarded with junk food everywhere they look. This book is definitely going on my gift-giving list.

Wow – what a feast! Such a bright, inviting book – and I love the clever poems that draw the reader/viewer in along with those luscious illustrations. Would have loved a copy when my young’uns were young. Thanks for sharing!

This looks like a fabulous book! What a great idea to help all kids see connections between gardens and the food they eat. Poetry, nutrition, multiculturalism and beautiful art all in one package! Thanks for sharing.

Jama’s Alphabet Soup participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Whenever you purchase an item through a link on this site, I will receive a small referral fee, to be applied to the cost of recipe ingredients and general blog maintenance. Thank you for your support!